thank you very much. we ve got a lot to get to this hour. it s 9:00 on the east coast, 6:00 a.m. out west. we re rolling into the fourth hour of morning joe. steve kornacki will be with us in just a moment to break down last night s election results from ohio and whether donald trump still has a grip on his party. he does. also ahead, we ll have the latest from ukraine, where russian forces are unleashing new attacks on ukrainian infrastructure, as well as that besieged steel plant in mariupol where people are clinging to life underneath. but we start with more on the fallout from the supreme court and that leaked draft opinion that would overturn roe v wade. rallies and protests are being held around the country for a second straight day following the unprecedented leak of a ruling that could overturn abortion rights in america. not surprisingly, the story made front page nationwide. the tampa bay times asking, quote, what comes next? former chief justice john ro
that suggests the court is ready to strike down the landmark decision that legalized abortion, that has stood for almost 50 years. the leak is a stunning breach of the court s confidentiality and secrecy. what do we do? stand up, fight back. what do we do? stand up, fight back. demonstrators rushed to the supreme court overnight. supporters of abortion rights and those opposed to abortion. we re expecting a statement from the white house this morning on this. and if this is the decision, it could almost instantly criminalize abortion for millions of american women, by some estimates about half of u.s. states would move quickly to ban or restrict abortions. and this decision raises questions about the future of other supreme court rulings, including decision s on same se marriage and contraception. and cnn got exclusive video outside the home of chief justice john roberts as he left for the day. do you have any comment on the court supreme court s draft opinion
states. it is important to be clear this is a draft opinion that was leaked. an official ruling likely would not be published until next month, until june. the language could change. this was written by justice samuel alito, circulated among justices in february. the opinion, likely has the support of four other conservative justices including thomas gorsuch, kavanaugh and amy coney barrett. we realize this is one of the most sensitive issues in our country s politics. many of you watching have strong opinions on this and perhaps personal experience as well as we cover this story today and going forward we will do our best to be sensitive to those points of view and have discussions that are respectful of them. we ll have much more on this story throughout the hour. plus, we are also following developments today out of ukraine. right now the mayor of mariupol says that a convoy filled with evacuees from that steel plant is making its way now to zaporizhzhia. this as both
stand up like that. what do we do! stand up like that! as you can see the news to the demonstrations overnight at the supreme court. people on ground, at times, protesters did clash with one another. there has never, ever been a week like this from the supreme court. but the impact of the looming decision is of much greater consequence. it could almost instantly criminalize abortion for millions of women. and it raises the question of the future of other women on supreme court rules, even contraception. let s go to cnn s jessica snyder first out of the gate with the latest. jess. reporter: brianna, a monumental and consequential decision if this is reached. for this court, it never gives a hint of its decisions before decision day but pretty tow reports that justice samuel alito has drafted this opinion, combleeding leading to the court established in roe v. wade. politico writing this is part of the draft here, we hold that roe and casey must be overruled. the co
he writes in part, quote, the constitution makes no reference to abortion and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision. roe was egregiously wrong from the start. it is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people s elected representatives. let s begin this morning with cnn justice correspondent jessica schneider. she is outside the supreme court. so far the supreme court predictably quiet on this leak. do you expect any comment on this? reporter: it remains to be seen, jim. i was immediately in touch with the court when this news broke last night. there was a simple and strict no comment. it will be interesting to see if they changed their tune. you know, we were outside chief justice john roberts house this morning. our producer, nicki robertson shouted two questions at him, asked about the leak itself, asked if there would be any investigation about this leak. the chief justice not responding in any kind. we ll